Advice on Diamond - Follow-up

[KLM14]

Here are the stats on a diamond that I am consdering:

3.03 carat, E, VS1, Diam = 9.44-9.48,T Depth=60.6%, Crown Angle = 33.8 deg (33.5 - 34.3), Crown Height = 15.2% (14.9-15.6), Pavil Angle=40.4 deg (40.4-40.5),Pav Depth=42.3% (41.8-42.4), Culet=0.1%, Table Size=54.3% (53.8-54.,Girdle=1.4% (1.0-1.7). GIA cert states EX polish, EX symmetry, Fluorescence=NONE. Price is $77,400 after some haggling. My broker is getting this diamond from another seller.

I used the HCA on this site and got a score of 0.7

UPDATE: I just found my exact diamond (Verified with GIA cert number) at Union Diamond:

http://www.uniondiamond.com/diamonds/diamonds.php?item_id=9030&search_type_id=2&action_type_id=2&network_id=0cf05810a0f83094f6e9972ef21cdd34#


A few questions:

1) I am confused on different grading systems? The AGS guidelines (given by broker) show all AGS 0. Is this AGS0? Is this "Ideal". Per GIA, is this a Class I diamond? Is this important for this quality of a diamond (I would think so). On this site, you have introduced H&A vs 1a vs 1b. What does this equate to? I have heard of "Select Ideal"TM. ?

2) I have seen the pricing on this site that suggests max of $28301 per carat. That would be approx $72K. I have heard that an "Ideal" or ''Class I" dimaond should be 15% above "normal" prices. However, seeing Union Diamond offering this for $71K seems to be the right price.

3) The HCA comes out to 0.7 with all factors at Excellent except "Spread" at "Very Good". Is the "Spread" a concern?

Thx,

KLM

 

[valeria101]

Date: 11/29/2005 6:45:22 AM
Author:KLM14


UPDATE: I just found my exact diamond (Verified with GIA cert number) at Union Diamond:

Not surprising. The story of these diamonds with multiple personalities is explained HERE.


A few questions:

1) I am confused on different grading systems? The AGS guidelines (given by broker) show all AGS 0. Is this AGS0? Is this ''Ideal''. Per GIA, is this a Class I diamond? Is this important for this quality of a diamond (I would think so). On this site, you have introduced H&A vs 1a vs 1b. What does this equate to? I have heard of ''Select Ideal''TM. ?

These are all different cut grading systems. they are not all perfectly equivalent - some are more sophisticated (i.e. guarantee more consistence and higher standards) than others. Every shop seems to have a more or less arbitrary selection called some sort of ideal (the ''Select Ideal'' name sounds liek such an in-store brand). GIA''s and AGS''s are probably the most technically sophisticated of the bunch with AGS''s grade considered more strict (i.e. some stones that make GIA''s top grade would not make AGS''s because the two labs do not agree on either where to draw the line or exactly what garding criteria to consider!). The 1a and 1b grades and the HCA consider similar parameters, but are both allot simpler grading systems than AGS''s and GIA''s.

The H&A standard is yet a different system - unlike others it does not take into account numbers (which are never exactly true to nature as any measurement under the sun), but the looks of the diamond in person. IMO, this is the strictest.

Before spending even more time on these, you might want to consider that these commercially competing systems are not meant to be reconciled.

2) I have seen the pricing on this site that suggests max of $28301 per carat. That would be approx $72K. I have heard that an ''Ideal'' or ''Class I'' diamond should be 15% above ''normal'' prices. However, seeing Union Diamond offering this for $71K seems to be the right price.

You are not the first to find a lower price for the same diamond online. This is a relatively small difference!


3) The HCA comes out to 0.7 with all factors at Excellent except ''Spread'' at ''Very Good''. Is the ''Spread'' a concern?

No. This diamond is not small (by diameter) for it''s weight. You can check this against other diamonds of the same weight regardless of other grades - there''s a long list for reference. About .2mm makes a visible difference.

Hope some of this helps.

It is a thorny matter what cut grades work better, why and how.

There was quite a bit of discussion about AGS''s versus GIA and others, you could spend weeks

Perhaps it is high time someone put the bits and pieces together, but it hasn''t been done yet.

 

[KLM14]

Update: My dealer in Atlanta has this diamond in their possession for the last week and a half (I saw it before Thanaksgiving). What is a proper premium to pay for this? Offered at $77,400 but online at approx $71K. 9% markup, what mark-up is proper, standard, warranted?

Thx,

KLM

 

[valeria101]

Date: 11/29/2005 7:17:26 AM
Author: KLM14

markup, what mark-up is proper, standard, warranted?

If you look around enugh, you might even find 50% markup reported. What is 'right' is what you can live with. There's no standard - only as much as the seller feels he can get. It s their right to do that, I suppose.

If the diamond is the same, what is worth the respective 6k?

 

[fire&ice]

Since the diamond is not in their inventory, anything they make on the stone is profit w/o much opportunity cost. Your difference is 6,400. As Ana states - what makes this diamond 6400 more? This stone is at your retailer & available for sale. There is something to be said for that.

The best thing to do is to ask for their very best price.

Good luck.